Copyright and Intellectual Property

This guide is a toolkit for answering questions about copyright and intellectual property. 

For basic definitions of terms used in the field of copyright, click the "Definitions" tab. 

If you have a question about using a particular item in your work, please click on the "Can I Use It?" tab. This section of the toolkit contains information about fair use, public domain, and licenses.

The Denison University has its own policies about copyright ownership for its employees. For information about these policies, see VII.COMMUNITY STANDARDS AND POLICIES: N. COPYRIGHT POLICY in the academic catalog. 

The information and resources found in this guide are not meant to offer legal advice but rather to guide and inform as you investigate copyright and other intellectual property concerns. Only a lawyer knowledgeable about copyright and intellectual property issues can provide you with legal advice.

Adapted from "Copyright and Intellectual Property Toolkit" by University of Pittsburg Library System licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

If you ask a librarian to help you with copyright and the librarian seems aloof, it's not because we don't want to help you.

The truth is that copyright is complex and involves legal documents, and librarians must be very careful to not provide legal advice because we are not lawyers. When it comes to copyright, a librarian can help you understand options available to you and direct you to information resources.  But when it's time to interpret legal copyright status and situations, we'll leave that to you or your attorney.

If you have a question about the limitations of library information service, please feel free to ask.

"Copyright and Intellectual Property Toolkit" by University of Pittsburg Library System licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

Libraries often deal with copyright and other intellectual property issues, whether on behalf of their communities (faculty, students, staff, other patrons) or in their day-to-day operations.

If you have questions about copyright in any of the following areas or activities, we can help. 

• Using the works of others (such as articles, reports, or books) for a paper or a research project
• Photocopying articles or book chapters
• Using materials on course reserves
• Listening to, playing, or downloading music
• Using the contents found in databases (which are licensed for use by the Denison community)
• Showing films or performing music
• Reusing images found in library collections, whether in print or online
• Borrowing materials from other libraries

Have a question about these topics or something else? Get in touch with us by e-mail! 

"Copyright and Intellectual Property Toolkit" by University of Pittsburg Library System licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

This guide is remixed and adapted from content from:

"Copyright and Intellectual Property Toolkit" by University of Pittsburg Library System licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

"Copyright Services" by Cornell University Library licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. 

"Copyright Resources" by Library Services, Kenyon College under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License."Scholarly Communication Toolkit: Copyright" by ACRL licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

This guide is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.